Connecting candidates and employers

‘Companies want the resume to be a perfect fit.’

By Michael Souza PBN Staff Writer

For the past 16 years, Kerry M. Tracey, president of Spectra Temps Inc., has witnessed the workforce change and fluctuate. Her temporary-employment and permanent-placement agency is a true barometer of local business, and the market, she said, is picking up. More

You can purchase access to thissingle article, if you prefer.Click here to continue.

Sign up to receive Providence Business News' newsletters and breaking news alerts.

MAIN STREET

Connecting candidates and employers

‘Companies want the resume to be a perfect fit.’

POSITION FILLED: Kerry M. Tracey sees her business as a barometer for the local economy. Hiring, on both a permanent and temporary basis, is up.

PBN PHOTO/RUPERT WHITELEY

Posted:
Saturday, March 17, 2012 12:43 am

By Michael Souza PBN Staff Writer

For the past 16 years, Kerry M. Tracey, president of Spectra Temps Inc., has witnessed the workforce change and fluctuate. Her temporary-employment and permanent-placement agency is a true barometer of local business, and the market, she said, is picking up.

Spectra Temps had a positive third and fourth quarter in 2011 and since January business has significantly improved. “Even though we are a small recruiting firm we are a reflection of what’s going on in the larger business community, so as goes the nearby companies, so goes my business. In the depths of the … recession, business was struggling,” she said.

The number of people approaching the company seeking employment was overwhelming. The demand for workers hit a dry spell, as companies were simply not hiring. “It was heartbreaking,” she recalled. “There was some panic and you could see there was a real [need for employment]. It was tough to see and very sad. Then, ironically, it fell off. I think some people became discouraged.

“As we come out of it, I think that we are a few months ahead of the trend,” she said. “Hopefully that’s a trend for the greater good of all of Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts.”

Before starting Spectra Temps, Tracey worked for Retail Recruiters, a staffing agency, strictly on commission. Approached by an investor who wanted to get into the recruiting industry, she left to start her own business. Within four months her partner left and she hasn’t looked back. The company has persevered through good times and bad, maintaining its same location on West Exchange Street for close to two decades.

In the early days, potential candidates weren’t always well-versed in word processing, never mind computers. Nowadays, things are drastically different. “Obviously, not only must everyone be computer literate, regardless of age, but everyone has to stay up to speed with software requirements. You have to know the necessary technology pertinent to your field of expertise,” she said, “in addition to understanding the job description.”

The company doesn’t specialize in catering to niche markets, but many of its clients come from the legal field, as well as manufacturing. “Those companies are still out there, the large manufacturers, and even the mid-size and smaller companies,” she said. Much of their business, about 60 percent, is providing labor for temporary employment, but many of those are “temp-to-hire” and become permanent depending on the type of employment.

Get the most up-to-date data on the Rhode Island and southern Massachusetts business community from the PBN List Center. Download and purchase PBN Lists as well as the complete Book of Lists in Excel format.